


Reason of Kindness

by kiryou



Category: Hyouka & Kotenbu Series
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Friendship, Random & Short, Romance, reason of kindness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 08:45:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 3,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2541506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiryou/pseuds/kiryou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Random HoutaEru drabbles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. choice

**Author's Note:**

> first posted on June 17, 2012 at ff.net

_he's already chosen her_

.

"You're always like this Fuku-chan! Look at Oreki! He always lets Chi-chan take him everywhere!"

At Mayaka's outburst, Houtarou completely lost interest in whatever he was reading, "Oi Ibara! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly as you've heard!" Mayaka hissed.

"And how is that related to what you're ranting just now?"

"How is it  _not_? Face the fact, Oreki!"

"I do  _not_  have a choice." Houtarou stated, his eyes narrowed.

Mayaka crossed her arms over her chest as she turned to face Houtarou, fully acknowledging him as her new target, "Oh, really? Why don't you refuse her then? Seeing that you're so capable of arguing with someone right now."

"Hey, hey." Satoshi said, waving his hand in an attempt to stop a sarcastic war that was about to begin, "Mayaka, you're mad at me right?"

At that, Satoshi got a glare from Mayaka in return.

Houtarou suddenly stood up, "I'm going home—"

The door of the Geology Room was slid open and Eru burst in excitedly, "Oreki-san, please come with me!"

Houtarou gulped, "I'm—"

"Please!" Eru insisted with  _that_  same look in her sparking eyes.

It was like watching a movie with the same scene being repeated over and over again. Even before the sentence was finished, Houtarou was dragged out of Satoshi and Mayaka's sights and out of the room.

"Not having a choice,  _yeah right_ , he hasn't even tried." Mayaka sighed, resting her chin on her palm, "He  _totally_  likes her."

Satoshi laughed whole-heartedly as a reply.


	2. (in)difference

_that girl's beautiful_

.

It was rare for Eru and Mayaka to be late.

When they did arrive, as expected Eru started apologizing, "Gomenasai Fukube-san Oreki-san, We're—"

Mayaka cut her off by grabbing Eru's shoulders from behind then slightly pushed her forward in front of Houtarou and Satoshi, "You guys! Look at Chi-chan, how is  _this_?"

Looking back at Mayaka, Eru tried to oppose with flushed cheeks, "Mayaka-san!"

Both boys were silent for a moment until Satoshi clapped his hands once and said briskly, "I see! Chitanda-san, you look very lovely today." Satoshi sincerely praised with a smile, "And a lot more mature, I might add."

Eru smiled shyly, "Ah-Arigatou gozaimasu, Fukube-san."

Meanwhile, Houtarou just stared.

Eru was wearing a dress, her same style but unlike other days, her hair was all tied up into a messy bun and she was wearing a little makeup — undoubtedly was Mayaka's doing — which perfectly emphasized her features, her pale skin and brought the purple in her eyes out even more if it was actually possible.

Getting no respone from Houtarou, Mayaka prodded, "O-re-ki~?"

Houtarou thought then simply said to Eru, "Well.. I think you look  _the same_."

As if being poisoned by Houtarou's words, the air around Mayaka turned from bright pink to absolute gray, almost visibly.

"You're  _so_  hopeless, Oreki." Mayaka muttered and let out an exaggerate sigh, "Let's go, Chi-chan." Mayaka said before grabbing Eru's hand and led her away as Eru gave Houtarou and Satoshi an apologetic smile.

Satoshi let out a small laugh, "That was so you, Houtarou." he patted Houtarou's shoulder a few time and followed the girls.

Again, Houtarou thought.

Did he say something wrong?

Had she not  _always_  looked pretty?

What  _exactly_  was the difference then?

But this time he didn't say anything, just shrugged it off and followed them.


	3. smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> post-episode 11

_it's you_

.

"What do you want, Chitanda?"

Eru slightly winced, her gaze fell back to the book on the table, "It's nothing."

Houtarou gave her a disbelieving look. He closed his book, rested his chin against his palm and stared at her, re-doing what she had done to him for the past few minutes.

Finally, Eru said, "Well.. "

" _Well_?"

"You never smile." Eru mumbled, fidgeting in her seat, "I mean, I've never seen you  _really_  smile."

Houtarou raised an eyebrow, "So you are curious about me now?"

"Hai, can I say my thoughts?" Eru asked tentatively, closing the book she was reading.

For a second, heavy silence fell upon the room and their eyes met. Neither made an effort to avoid the other's gaze like they were trying to measure what the other was thinking but in the end, Houtarou nodded.

"I saw that you were very upset the other day and I thought maybe I could cheer you up somehow but the truth is I don't know what should I do. Oreki-san, I don't know what you like or what could possibly make you feel better because you never show it." Eru paused, absent-mindedly playing with the spine of her book, "Actually, there're many things about you that I'm curious about but please don't get me wrong. I didn't ask you just for an answer to appease my own curiosity. I just want to help if I can but if you think it's none of my concern then I completely understand."

Eru lifted her eyes up after she had finished, gazing at him expectantly.

And Houtarou was stuck, not in a bad way though.

He looked out at the sky for a moment before answering, "If you feel so happy, you also feel excited." he looked back at her and concluded matter-of-factly, "Excitement is tiring."

Eru blinked, asking reluctantly, "Then Oreki-san, do you feel.. happy?"

"I am." Houtarou replied, quickly and firmly.

"So you do have things you like after all. I'm glad to hear that." she smiled gently then added, "It's okay, Oreki-san. You don't have to tell me."

Eru said before returning to read again and soon after, Houtarou was completely lost in his own thoughts, surprised and a bit unsettled by the fact that she noticed and was concerned about him enough to ask all the things she actually didn't have to bother.

She did care.

Unbeknown to both of them, the next time he looked at her, Houtarou  _smiled_.


	4. rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspired by the second ending theme.

_next time he shall take your heart_

.

Her own footsteps were echoed throught the street as  _Eru Holmes_  was running determinedly in the darkened alley until she stopped at the corner of one building and tried to calm her breath. The light seemed to mock her as faint shadows were reflected all around but all she did was watching intensely at the back door.

She knew he would come out at any minute now.

Needless to say, a black silhouette in a cloak emerged out, almost fast as lightning. His footsteps were light and firm in the silent night. Holding her breath, Eru waited until he rushed past the corner then she darted out and caught his wrist.

"Stop right there, Lupin!"

The only thing she saw for a split second was his widened green eyes. In a blink of an eye,  _Houtarou Lupin_ snapped his fingers then he completely disappeared from her sight and what she was grabbing had turned into a plastic arm. Before she could turn back, her back was collided with something as an arm was secure around her waist, blocking all her movements.

"Patient." Houtarou whispered right next to her ear from behind as his other hand fished out the certain diamond ring from her pocket and despite herself, her cheeks were flushed at the contact but she tried to catch his arm again, determined not to let him escape this time. Unfortunately, Houtarou was faster. He dodged her catch and disappeared again like a shadow in the dim light. Before she knew it, a single red rose along with a single piece of paper was left in her hand.

_I'll borrow this, for now._

On top of the nearby building, the ring was lifted up to the pale moon in the clear night sky as Houtarou observed it before he lowered his eyes to the ground and the corner of his mouth curled up just a tad bit at the sight of the blushing detective below.


	5. shade

_you can't escape_

.

Shades of  _violet_  and  _purple_  were embodied so beautifully in her eyes he couldn't look away or resist or even  _try_.

Shades of _red_  were tinted and spreading out over the apple of her cheeks everytime she was excited and nervous.

Shades of _gold_  were the glow of curiosity sparkling in her eyes and  _always_  the sign of his upcoming energy wasting times.

Shades of _blue_  were the way her tears turned the sunset sky outside into after the meaning of hyouka was revealed by him.

Shades of _orange_  were  _those_  cushions in her room and  _that_  apron she wore in her house which he only saw once but never forgot.

Shades of _green_  were his own eyes reflected in hers whenever she came so close.. too close that he just wanted to  _taste_..

Shades of _pink_ were deliciously painted on her lips and seemed to look even sweeter everytime they curved up into those gentle smiles.

Shades of _black_ were silkiness of her long straight hair swaying softly in the wind making him wonder if it actually  _felt_  as soft as it looked.

Shades of _white_ were  _not_  just soft cream or bathing suits in the summer light rather her pale skin shining so bright he was blinded for a second.

And among vividness of those colors, it seemed like  _gray_  didn't stand a chance to just stay plain and indifferent anymore.

But the truth was even if he  _did_  have a chance, Houtarou wasn't so sure if he still wanted to just stay the same.


	6. déjàvu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspired by the second opening theme.

_are you true_

.

"  _..ou-san, please wake up!_ "

His eyes snapped open.

Houtarou had no idea where he was. The only thing he saw right in front of his eyes was a glimpse of a room from a narrow gap between green curtains. Instinctively, he reached out trying to part them open but his hand was stuck by window glass.

His whole body was stuck  _in_  window glass.

Honestly, he was shocked but to be panicked wouldn't help and it took too much energy. Houtarou stepped to a side, both left and right and found out that he could still walk around freely if he just forgot the fact that he  _was_  in the wall. Upon his experiment, his eyes were adjusted more to the light and from the same narrow gap, he could tell that inside was a bedroom.

"Come'on," the muffled voice of a girl came out from the room again, so strangely familiar that it made him stopped in his track, "We have to meet Mayaka-san-tachi today!"

Mayaka? As in  _Ibara_?

Suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. This was his own bedroom and that was  _her_ voice. Houtarou moved, again and again, trying to find the best angle to see what the hell was really happening inside. What he could barely see was that _she_ was sitting on the side of his bed trying to wake someone who apparently was sleeping there up.

Yes, it was his own damn bed.

"Please wake up,  **Houtarou** -san!" she tried again but this time she was suddenly pulled down onto the bed and out of his eyesight by  _that_  someone.

That someone was  _him_  and  _she_ just called him by his  _name_.

Now,  _completely panicked_  didn't seem strong enough to describe his emotional state. Despite knowing he was stuck, Houtarou clumsily stepped back. To his utter surprise, he was out of the wall and gravity started taking control at that exact same moment.

"  _..eki-san, it's time to go home._ "

And he was falling..

" _Oreki-san, please wake up!_ "

His eyes flew open once again and Houtarou was greeted by the scene of the surreal Geology room and the same pair of purple eyes he had just seen a moment ago.


	7. fever

_for her he will_

.

"Can you take Chi-chan home?" Mayaka asked as soon as she burst into their club room dragging Eru along with her.

" _What?_ " Houtarou answered with a frown. Only the thought of standing up seemed too much, let alone doing what Mayaka had just said because he'd just come and sat here a moment before.

Eru began meekly, her voice a bit hoarse, "Anou, Mayaka-san—"

"No, Chi-chan! Your fever is getting worse and you can't even walk properly right now! How could I let you go back alone?" Mayaka said with a worried expression on her face before turning to Houtarou again, "I have to go to Manga Society and Fuku-chan has a meeting with the Executive Committee.  _You_  are like the only person in this whole school who is free right now Oreki." Mayaka finished almost sarcastically, her eyes narrowed.

Eru was looking nervously back and forth at Mayaka and Houtarou, trying to tell both of them that she was fine while her body was telling a whole different story by slightly swaying to one and the other side everytime she turned, like she was ready to crumble down at any second, her face noticeably reddened.

Houtarou watched silently and let out a small sigh but then got up from his seat anyways.

"But Oreki-san, you don't have to—"

"Use Fuku-chan's bike, I already told him." Mayaka cut Eru off with somewhat of a satisfied grin on her face.

Houtarou just nodded stiffly and said to Eru, "Let's go."

"A-Arigatou gozaimasu, Oreki-san." Eru bowed at him like she always did, almost ended up on the floor before she could stand straight again and Houtarou had to try  _not_  to just scoop her up.

Again, he had to waste a lot of his energy because of her but as Houtarou biked through the city and Eru gently grasped the back of his shirt, wearily rested a side of her head against his back, he suddenly realized that it didn't bother him that much.

Actually, it didn't bother him  _at all_.

And even though he could only see her black hair flowing in the wind from the corner of his eyes, Houtarou wished they would never arrive at her house.


	8. heartbeat

_they're the same_

.

"Oreki-san, I'm curious."

Without noticing any difference in the tone of her voice, Houtarou merely lifted his eyes up to look at the girl beside him and waited for her to explain. No use wasting more energy to refuse, there was no escape right now.

Watching outside the bus window at the scenery passing by, Eru took a deep breath with one hand placing to her heart before half-turning to face him. Houtarou reflexively jolted back a little when their knees bumped yet Eru grasped his wrist by her other hand. Their noses almost touched when the bus lurched.

For a split second, their eyes met. Both started blushing slightly. She avoided his eyes but tightened her hand around his wrist and he was completely stilled, too stunned to even move. Seconds seemed like hours before she decided to release his hand.

Eru turned back and said quietly, "Arigatou gozaimasu, Oreki-san."

"W-what?" was the only thing Houtarou could manage to say.

She only smiled, "I've already got my answer."


	9. energy

_-saving matter_

.

Houtarou wasn't sure which one was less energy-consuming.

Being dragged around, again and again to solve countless mysteries that never seemed to stop popping up and always caught her attention leading to him  _always_  solving them which he still had no idea about how or why exactly all these matters —  _her_  matters — had become his ' _have to do_ ' things.

Or having her trapped between him and some things — a chair, a table, a wall or just him — and capturing her never-ending words of curiosity in her sweet voice within his own lips. The best part was after that, when he rested his forehead against hers watching her eyes sparkling timidly, beautiful and purple and all, her words forgotten, her face like a ripe strawberry ready to be eaten and he dived for more.

Sure, the former required more work to be done but the latter should be illegal regarding a healthy heart rate. It always left him short of breath like he had just run a mile which was impossible to actually happen because he would only  _walk_  and definitely  _less_  than a mile.

Either way it was her fault, partly his but  _mostly_  hers.

And to think that his matter  _was_  saving energy..

All in all, he wasn't that sure which one was less energy-consuming but the thing he knew was that the latter was way more fascinating and somehow, he was willing to waste his energy to do it for the rest of his life.


	10. instruction

_by Irisu Fuyumi_

.

" _First, make them feel like you have expectations of them._

_Second, give them the impression that it's not that important to you._

_Third, ask someone of the opposite sex in private.._ "

"Eh! _?_ " Satoshi exclaimed, a bit surprised after Eru finished, "Did Irisu-san really say  _that_?"

"Hai," Eru replied softly looking down in guilt at her hands on her knees, "Gomenasai Fukube-san, I tried doing as she said but seemed like it didn't work out well with Tougaito-san. Maybe I should try harder next time."

Satoshi blinked trying to let all this new information sink in. A disbelieving look lingered on his face for a few seconds.

"Well, Chitanda-san. I think we won't have to be faced with this kind of situation again next year and you already did great in those three days." he said kindly trying to reassure the girl sitting next to him.

"Chi-chan! Fuku-chan!" Mayaka greeted as she entered the room followed by Houtarou who had his typical bored expression on his face.

Satoshi smiled and raised his hand up to acknowledge their arrivals.

"Konnichiwa Mayaka-san, Oreki-san." Eru said before looking down again.

An idea struck Satoshi.

He leaned closer to Eru and said quietly in a sly tone, "Here's the thing Chitanda-san. If you are worried, you can always  _practice_  it with Houtarou just in case."

Seeing Satoshi's conspiratorial act, Mayaka raised her eyebrows and Houtarou frowned but Satoshi just smiled innocently at them when he noticed a new glow of determination spark in Eru's eyes.

What Satoshi didn't say was that without any help from anybody, the possibility of Eru's success was 99% already when it came to Houtarou.


	11. (the) strength

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> every italic in this chapter is from the novel or anime.

_is Oreki Houtarou_

.

_"He'd be strength, of course. It fits him perfectly."_

Eru had doubted it.

_'I often find Oreki-san being able to sharply observe things that are out of the ordinary. But most of the time Oreki-san tends to be slow in getting things done. So it's hard to determine whether he's a reliable person or not.'_

With the number of their anthologies in mind and the Kanya festival awaiting at the next sunrise, she prayed.

_"Please bless us with good fortune for the next three days. Please let us overcome this mountain."_

And at last, Hyoukas were sold out, every single one. She was exhilarated.

_"Actually, I think Houtarou's figured out one or two things about the Juumonji incident."_

Needless to say, her curiosity was still peaked by the incident but almost unconsciously, she knew that their success was all thanks to him. She knew.

_"Oreki-san, you never do anything for yourself. Why did you want to look into this today?"_

Days after that, she was so glad she decided to go to the public library with him.

_"I guess it's less of being 'insensitive' and more of 'not knowing how someone feels'. Though, I'll probably never meet him again so it's not like I'd need to know how he feels."_

All at once, she finally realized what she'd known for a long time but had never been awared of it before.

_"That's.. very.. I don't know how to say it.. I'm glad I could see a different side of you today."_

And Eru was certain.


	12. photograph

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> konari is the brown haired guy in the last episode.

_no hurry_

.

Konari had been here so many times before and he knew there wouldn't be anything special about this year's festival, not like the previous one. He wasn't a part of the staff this year but he came to watch them anyways, partly because he didn't have anything else to do and mostly because he should and needed to be here. ( _an errand._ )

There was nothing special about the people either. Everybody was the same — adults waiting and chatting, children running around and laughing excitedly.

Still, Konari easily spotted _him_ among the crowd,

The substitute umbrella-carrying boy from last year. ( _what was his name again?_ )

That boy looked almost the same, not out of place in his casual clothing, maybe a bit taller with messier hair and he just stood there, standing out from everybody else around him ironically because there wasn't anything noticeable about him. No excitement, no interest, no emotion, just being there. ( _like why was he even there at all?_ )

When the ceremony ended, Konari was still around meaning to properly greet all the staffs but instead, he halted when he saw the umbrella boy with Chitanda's daughter who was still in her empress costume. ( _so that boy did come here only because of her._ )

Unconsciously, Konari lifted his hand up to grab his camera only to realize that he didn't have it with him now.

Those two talked. She bowed. They talked. She giggled. They talked. ( _teenagers. normal flirting maybe._ ) They blushed. She smiled and left.

Somehow it felt like watching forbidden love between a noble woman and a normal man.

Konari shrugged it off and went back to finish his errand.

On his way back home, he didn't expect to see them for the third time.

The umbrella boy and Chitanda's daughter were walking side by side in the distance. Spring wind blew and sakura petals fell down slowly around them. The boy took Chitanda's hand in his as he turned to look and smile at her. ( _that boy could actually do that smiling thing?_ ) Chitanda mirrored his smile shortly after that.

Konari blinked once and this time he saw a normal boy and girl.

And they were completely in love.

His hand automatically reached up to the camera that wasn't there again before Konari chuckled and slightly shook his head at himself. He would always come back here because this city was his home and maybe next year he would come to this festival again with his camera.

( _or maybe he could just wait for their wedding ceremony._ )


End file.
